Combination rudder and propeller drive assembly



Feb. 3, 1953 c, STAHMER 2,627,243

COMBINATION RUDDER AND PROPELLER DRIVE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 21, 1949 INVEN TOR. 6,421. HERMAN .57AHMER BY x45 ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 3, 1953 COMBINATION RUDDER AND PROPELLER DRIVE ASSEMBLY Carl Herman Stahmer, San Francisco, Calif.

Application January 21, 1949, Serial No. 71,877

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in a combination rudder and propeller drive assembly for a boat, and the principal object of the invention is to provide an assembly of the character described in which the rudder, the propeller and the propeller drive are combined into a single unitary structure adapted to be applied to the boat as a unit.

It is a further obiect of the invention to arrange the unit in such a manner that the operator may work the drive for the propeller while sitting on a rear seat in the boat and while looking forward. This feature is of particular advantage insofar as it facilitates the operation of the boat, makes it safer, particularly for children, to operate the boat, and facilitates navigation of the boat insofar as it makes it easier for the operator to steer the boat into narrow quarters in an unobtrusive manner and without noise, which is of particular importance to the fisherman and duck hunter.

It is further proposed in the present invention to provide a unitary structure of the character described that can be installed in a boat without difiiculty, can be readily removed, and is sufficiently light in weight for easy carrying and transporting.

While my combination assembly is principally intended for manual operation, it is also capable of being operated by a motor, and in that case the motor will be positioned in such a manner with respect to the handle of the rudder that no oil may drip from the motor into the water, and contamination of the latter is thereby prevented.

Further objects andadvantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds, and the novel features of my invention will be fully defined in the claims attached hereto.

' The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 shows a side view of my combination rudder and propeller drive assembly as applied to the rear end of a boat,

Figure 2, a top plan view of the combination shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3, a horizontal section taken along line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4, a side view of a slightly modified form in which an engine drive is substituted for the manual drive of the first three figures.

While I have shown only the preferred forms of my invention, I wish to have it understood that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims attached hereto Without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, my combination rudder and propeller drive assembly com prises in its principal features a rudder I having a blade 2 and a handle 3, a propeller 4 revolvably secured upon the rear edge of the blade, an operating mechanism 5 secured upon the front portion of the handle, and a flexible shaft 6 con necting the propeller to the drive.

The rudder is preferably made in the form of a shell including two side plates 1 and 8 secured upon one another along the edges 9 and bulging away from one another so as to form a central passage IQ for the flexible shaft 6. The rudder may be made of any suitable conventional shape, and the rear end of the passage within the rudder contains a bearing II for the propeller shaft I2.

The front end of the rudder handle terminates in a bearing [3 for a coupling l4 between the flexible shaft 6 and a stub-shaft 15 having a pinion l6 thereon.

A housing I! is mounted upon the front end of the bearing l3 and has a transverse shaft I8 revolvably mounted therein, the shaft having a crank handle l9 disposed outside the housing for operating the same.

A gear wheel 20 is mounted on the shaft Ill. The housing carries a second shaft 2| between the pinion and the shaft l8, and the shaft 2| has a gear wheel 22 mounted thereon, meshing with gear wheel 20, and also a bevelled gear 23 meshing with the pinion l6.

It will be seen that in this manner the rudder, the propeller, the drive means for the propeller and the flexible shaft connecting the drive means with the propeller are all mounted to form a unitary structure.

I'he rear wall of the boat, indicated at 24, has a bracket 25 removably secured thereon, the bracket being channel-shaped so as to fit over the rear wall and being held in place by means of a pair of clamping screws 26. The rear wall of the bracket is provided with two alined bearings 21, and the rudder blade has two vertical pins 28 mounted in front of its forward edge, the pins being engageable in the bearings 21 so as to support the rudder with freedom of swinging movement with respect to the rear wall of the boat.

A seat 29 is provided in the rear of the boat in a conventional manner, the rudder handle being proportioned for convenient operation of the crank 19 by a person seated on the seat 29 and looking forward.

The operation of the invention thus far described will be readily understood from the foregoing description. The bracket 25 may be readily applied to the rear wall of the boat, and the entire assembly of the rudder and the propeller with its drive means is applied to the boat by merely dropping the pins 23 into the bearings 21.

A person occupying the seat 29 may now readily operate the rudder for steering the boat and at the same time operate the crank handle IQ for rotating thepropeller' i to advance the boat.

The form illustrated in Figure 4 resembles the one previously described in all details except that a motor 30 is mounted. on theihousing H for driving the gear wheel 20 in any suitable and well-known manner, as by means of a crank shaft. It will be noted thatwhen the-engine is mounted in this manner it willbe located .over.

the interior of the boat instead of being outside the boat.

I claim:

1'. A combination. rudder and; propeller drive assembly fora boat having a: rear wall, comprising a rudder including-a relatively flat blade disposed in. a verticalplane and having a vertical central. section, a rearwardly projecting lowerssectionand a forwardly projecting upper section and having a substantially centrally located guide duct extendingfrom end to end therein, means for securing the central section upon the rear:wall of the boat, a flexible shaft in said guidev duct, a propeller, mounted upon the rear end of the. shaft and rearwardly of the rudder, a gear "housing mounted upon the front end of the rudder so as to formv a forward continuation thereof, and a gear mechanism in said housing and vconnectedto the front end of the shaft, and having means for driving thesame.

2'. A. combination rudder and propeller drive assembly for a boat'having a rear wall, coma" gear housing mounted upon the front end of W the rudder so as to form a forward continuation thereof, and a' gear mechanism in said housing and connected to the'front end of the'shaft, and

having means for driving the same, the rudder being made of two" flat complementary plates arranged in contacting side by side relation and having'registering grooves to" form the-duct.

3; In a" combination rudder and propeller drive assembly for a boat having a substantially vertical rear wall, a rudder comprising a unitary flat blade having a vertical central section, a rearwardly projecting lower section and a forwardly projecting top section and having a substantially centrally located guide duct therein, the three sections being of substantially the same thickness and having continuous and smooth outer surfaces, means for swingably securing the central section upon the rear wall of theboatwithpthe top ;-section projecting over the boat, a fiexible shaft in said-guide duct, a propeller mounted upon the rear end of the shaft and rearwardly of the blade, and means mounted upon thefrontrendeof the rudder for driving theshaft, the central section extending upwardly substantially to the height of the boat and being of a-width greatly in excess of its thickness to produce'asteering effect throughout the depth of immersion.

4;..In: a combination rudder and propeller drive assembly for a boat having a substantially vertical rear Wall, a..rudder. comprising aunitary fiat blade'having averticalcentral section, a:- rearwardly'projecting lower. section and a for-- wardly projecting topsectionand-having asub-n stantially centrally'located. guide duct therein,

the. drive sections being of. substantially the same thickness and having continuous and smooth outer surfaces, meansfor swingablysecuring the central. section uponthe rear wall of the boatwith the ,top sectionprojecting over the boat, a flexibleshaft in said guide duct;.a

propeller mounted upon the rear end of. the

shaft and-rearwardly of the blade, andmeans mounted upon the front. end of therudder. for driving the u shaft; the central. section extending;

upwardly substantially to; the height oftheboat and being of a' width greatly in. excess: of :its; thickness. to produce, a. steering effect. through out .the-depthofimmersion, and the rudder being made in.two complementary flat plate-sections.

arranged in contacting side-by-side relationand having registering grooves to formthe duct.

CARLHERMAN STAHME'R;

REFERENCES, CITED 1 The: following references. are of record in .the

file of this patent:

UNITED'STATES PATENTS.

Number. Name Date? 486,684;.- Salisbury .Nov. 22, 1892 992,676 Krohn': .May 16,1911.

1,512,902 Boyd Oct.28, 1924-. 1,639,339 Grass, Aug v 1.6;.1927 2,273,815 Bevingtorr Feb. 24, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country; Date- 5,580. Great Britain, .Dec. 15,.1893 370,707 France Oct. 23,1906 

